Routine colonic lavage is unnecessary for double-contrast barium enema in outpatients.
Four different cleansing regimens were assessed in a prospective survey of 435 patients referred for barium enema. A regimen using simple dietary instructions and laxatives is as effective as a preliminary cleansing enema. It is suggested that routine cleansing enemas in outpatients represent an unnecessary and uncomfortable ritual that might usefully be abandoned.
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003106:Colon; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004733:Enema / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
D001466:Barium Sulfate